Nagashino Video

A good friend of mine Nate Ledbetter has written a great blog post on the Battle of Nagashino and it includes a beautiful video.  http://sengokufieldmanual.blogspot.com/2013/10/rest-in-peace-original-nagashino.html  Mr. Ledbetter has probably done more ground breaking work on the Battle of Nagashino than anybody out there in the past few years.  He has used his military experience and skills to break down the battle to the tactical level.  Once you see the video, you will clearly understand that Takeda Katsuyori failed on the tactical and the intelligence level.

The video includes some of the problems of the primary sources like the Shincho-Ko ki, Shinchoki, and the Koyo Gunkan.  Somewhat have to be taken with a grain of salt.  One of the main problems with these texts is that they are not perfect.

My favorite part of the video has to be where Mr. Ledbetter breaks down everything to the military level.  He uses a doctoral template and practically tells the viewer that most historians do not even try to put both armies into their field positions.  Mr. Ledbetter actually was able to put the 30,000 plus Oda/Tokugawa and 9,000 plus Takeda in their field positions and proved that it could have been done in such an area.  Major kudos in my opinion.  One has to remember that they did not fight with standardized armies back then.

The video continues on the guns and Mr. Ledbetter thinks that there were more guns at the battlefield.  I agree as well.  4,000-6,000 is a good estimation and go on from there.  On the tactical level, one of the major reasons why Nobunaga succeeded besides the use of guns was their superior tactical planning, logistical planning, and training.  They knew from past experiences that the Takeda liked to attack the flanks and when Nobunaga shortened the battlefield to advantage he knew he won part of the battle.

One of Takeda Katsuyori's main problems overconfidence, tactical exploitation by the Oda/Tokugawa, did not expect strong Nobunaga's strong support for Ieyasu, and the intelligence front.  Ieyasu was used as screen and it worked and also the raid on Tobigasu was so successful that it forced Katsuyori to make a move.  You also have the Sakuma Nobumori letter which also made Katsuyori to make the first move.

I probably have left out a few other facts, but please watch the video.  You will learn a lot.  Many thanks to Mr. Nate Ledbetter for tackling the Battle of Nagashino.  Hopefully, his work will be published soon.

Tenka no Tame!!!!!!!!!!

Kenkun Jinja Matsuri

On 19 October, Kenkun Jinja will have a festival dedicated to Nobunaga's Kyoto arrival in 1568.  The shrine is located in Kyoto on the Funaoka hill.  The festival will include a performance of Atsumori and samurai in armor shooting their matchlock rifles.  The guy who is shooting his rifle is the smart one in my opinion.  Look at his sashimono.  It has the Oda crest, the Tenka Fubu seal, and the Uesama's signature.

I have written several posts on Kenkun Jinja and here are some links.
http://otsuke.blogspot.com/2013/07/nobunaga-armor.html
http://kenkun-jinja.org/

Tenka no tame!

Okehazama Novel

I just finished writing my first rough draft of the Okehazama novel.  Later, I gave the copy to a friend of mine to look it over.  Also, I will bring a slightly different rough draft copy with me to Japan next month.  It is a fiction novel with the usual cast of characters that include, Nobunaga, Imagawa Yoshimoto, Matsudaira Motoyasu (Ieyasu), and the Men of the Fields (Hachisuka Koroku and Maeno Shoemon).  There is a list of the Matsudaira/Imagawa armies as well as a KIA list.

I have written details on several castles and forts with their dimensions and history, geography of the Okehazama battlefield and other provinces, and more importantly, the critical role that the Men of the Fields contributed to Nobunaga's victory.  The Men of the Fields did the dirty work for Nobunaga and it paid off big time.  Without them, Nobunaga's victory might have been impossible.

After everyone's input and the editing is finished, I am planning to go the e-publishing route.

More later.

Nobunaga no tame! 

Kiyosu Castle

In the early spring of 1555, Nobunaga finally took over Kiyosu Castle, the jewel of Owari.  This was key since it was a major step in unifying Owari. He had some help with his uncle Oda Nobumitsu.  However, Nobumitsu did not live long after as he was assassinated by on of his retainers, Sakai Magohachiro.

Passage from the Shincho-Ko ki (The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga) Elisonas and Lamers, pp. 74-75

"In Kiyosu Castle resided the deputy military governor (shugodai) of Owari, whose name was Oda Hikogoro [Nobutomo].  Saki Daizen, a major land owner, was his assistant deputy governor (koshugodai).

Now that Kiyosu's other leading figures--Sakai Jinsuke, Kawajiri Sama no Jo, and Oda Sanmi--had been killed in battle, Daizen could not hold the castle against Nobunaga on his own.  He therefore begged Lord Magosaburo for help, in return offering him the joint occupancy of the deputy governorship with Lord Hikogoro.  A deal was made.  In compliance with Daizen's wishes, Lord Magosaburo sent him an elaborate written oath that there would be no double-dealing.
Accordingly,
On the 19th of the Forth Month, [Tenbun 23 (1554)], Lord Oda Magosaburo of Moriyama moved to the southern watchtower of Kiyosu Castle.  On surface, all seemed to be as it should, but in fact Lord Magosaburo had made a secret compact with Nobunaga to play into Kiyosu's hands.  In return, Nobunaga pledged covertly to partition Owari's lower four districts, more or less along the line of the Odai River, and share them with Lord Magosaburo.  This Lord Magosaburo was Nobunaga's uncle.  The lower half of Owari Province was divided into two parts called "west of the river" and "east of the river," consisting of two districts each.  So two districts would go to the nephew and the other two turned over to the uncle.  That was their deal.

On the 20th of the Forth Month, an ambush was prepared.  Should Sakai Daizen come to the southern tower to pay hos repects to Magosaburo, he was to be killed by men who lay in wait.  Daizen indeed came to the castle, but he sensed something dreadful in the air and immediately took to his heels, not stopping until he reached Suruga Province, where he asked Imagawa Yoshimoto for asylum. Magosaburo, however, forced the deputy military governor, Lord Oda Hikogoro, to commit hara-kiri, seized control of Kiyosu, handed it over to Kazusa no Suke Nobunaga, and moved to Nagoya Castle himself."

As mentioned above, Nobunaga's uncle Nobumitsu, did not live long after this event.  Once he was assassinated, Nobunaga handed Nagoya Castle to his elder retainer Hayashi Hidesada.  One has to remember that betrayal was very common during the Sengoku Era in a land where bloodshed was king.

Tenka no tame!

Nagoya Golden Nobunaga

There is a new Nobunaga statue in Nagoya area located at Entonji.  It is actually not that bad and I like it.  The photo shows the Uesama in armor with a matchlock rifle.  The only thing the statue is missing is  a sword.  There are also a Hideyoshi, Ieyasu, and believe or not Mito Komon statues as well.  However, the Golden Nobunaga always wins out!

Nobunaga no tame!

The Signore Part VII

I have not written anything on Kunio Tsuji's The Signore in a long time.  Today this paragraph describes very accurately that Nobunaga hardly drank any sake unless it was for ceremonial purposes.  Instead, it was his vassals that got drunk.  As always, we are are reminded that he was a self-made man from Owari.

The Signore, p. 35

"He permitted his generals to drink their sake, and looked the other way when, according to the custom of the land, they forced cups upon one another until they were all dead drunk.  But the Signore himself had never been a heavy drinker.  He seemed wholly free of vanity and dressed in the simplest manner.  In fact, he seemed to care little for what others thought of him or his opinions.  He was, in short, supremely self-confident in all matters."

Tenka no tame!

Komaki Castle

In 1563, Nobunaga moved his headquarters to Komaki from Kiyosu.  Nobunaga's stay at Komaki was brief, fours years, but it might give us some clues on what he did later: Azuchi Castle!  Komaki Castle might have been a blueprint for Azuchi Castle. 2013 is the 450th anniversary of the construction of Komaki Castle.  It is not the best, but it has improved the past few years.  I did visit the castle back in 2000 and my experience was not that great.  However, I do plan to make a return visit later this year.  The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga has a passage on Komaki Castle.  (Elisonas/Lamers, pp. 109-110)

"Kazusa no Suke Nobunaga came up with a marvelous ploy.  Kiyosu, which lay in the very center of Owari Province, was a prosperous place.  One day Nobunaga summoned all of his closest retainers and took them up Mount Ninomiya, a high peek surrounded by other mountains.  'I will order a fortress to be constructed on this mountain,' he announced.  'Everybody shall move his residence here.'  He went about assigning plots of land to his vassals.  'Build on this ridge!' he said to one.  'Build in that valley!' he told another.  That same day, he returned to Kiyosu.  Later he went the mountain once more, and at length he drove home his message.  his retainers, whether high- or low-ranking, were not a little unhappy about the orders to leave their Kiyosu homes for the deep mountains; indeed, they were distraught.  At this juncture, Nobunaga issued new orders-to relocate to Mount Komaki.  A waterway extended to its foot, making Komaki a convenient place for transporting household goods and other possessions.  All as one gladly moved there.  Had Nobunaga ordered the move to Komaki from the beginning, his men would have been distressed as they were at the prospect of Ninomiya."

Nobunaga no tame!